Admendments to the United States Constitution
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| Constitution of the United States of America |
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| Preamble and Articles of the Constitution |
| Amendments to the Constitution |
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| Unratified Amendments |
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| Full text of the Constitution and Amendments |
Three amendments to the United States Constitution have been proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789. Twenty-seven of these, having been ratified by the requisite number of states, are part of the Constitution. The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified simultaneously and are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. Six amendments adopted by Congress and sent to the states have not been ratified by the required number of states. Four of these amendments are still technically open and pending, one is closed and has failed by its own terms, and one is closed and has failed by the terms of the resolution proposing it.
Article Five of the United States Constitution detailed the two-step process foramending the nation's frame of government. Amendments must be properlyProposed and Ratified before becoming operative. This process was designed to strike a balance between the excesses of constant change and inflexibility.[1]
- An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by either:
- The United States Congress, whenever a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives deem it necessary;
- OR
- A national convention, called by Congress for this purpose, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds (presently 34) of the states.
- To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by either (as determined by Congress):
- The legislatures of three-fourths (presently 38) of the states, within the stipulated time period—if any;
- OR
- State ratifying conventions in three-fourths (presently 38) of the states, within the stipulated time period—if any.
- Upon being properly ratified, an amendment becomes an operative addition to the Constitution.
Approximately 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789.[2] Collectively, members of the House and Senate typically propose around 200 amendments during each two–year term of Congress.[3] Most however, never get out of the Congressional committees in which they were proposed, and only a fraction of those that do receive enough support to win Congressional approval to actually go through the constitutional ratification process. Beginning in the early 20th century, Congress has usually, but not always, stipulated that an amendment must be ratified by the required number of states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states in order to become part of the Constitution. Congress' authority to set ratification deadline was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in Coleman v. Miller, 307 U.S. 433 (1939).
The thirty-three amendments to the United States Constitution—both ratified and unratified—are listed and detailed in the tables below.
Contents
[hide]Ratified amendments
Synopsis of each ratified amendment
| # | Subject | Date submitted for Ratification[4] | Date ratification completed[4] | Ratification time span[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging thefreedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting thepetitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 2nd | Protects the right to keep and bear arms. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 3rd | Places restrictions on the quartering of soldiers in private homes without the owner's consent, prohibiting it during peacetime. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 4th | Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause as determined by a neutral judge or magistrate. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 5th | Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incriminationand double jeopardy. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 6th | Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 7th | Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 8th | Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 9th | Protects rights not enumerated in the Constitution. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 10th | Reinforces the principle of federalism by stating that the federal government possesses only those powers delegated to it by the states or the people through the Constitution. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 2 years 2 months 20 days |
| 11th | Makes states immune from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders; lays the foundation for sovereign immunity. | March 4, 1794 | February 7, 1795 | 11 months 3 days |
| 12th | Revises presidential election procedures. | December 9, 1803 | June 15, 1804 | 6 months 6 days |
| 13th | Abolishes slavery, and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. | January 31, 1865 | December 6, 1865 | 10 months 6 days |
| 14th | Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues. | June 13, 1866 | July 9, 1868 | 2 years 0 months 26 days |
| 15th | Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. | February 26, 1869 | February 3, 1870 | 11 months 8 days |
| 16th | Permits Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the United States Census. | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 | 3 years 6 months 22 days |
| 17th | Establishes the direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 | 10 months 26 days |
| 18th | Prohibited the manufacturing or sale of alcohol within the United States. (Repealed December 5, 1933) | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 | 1 year 0 months 29 days |
| 19th | Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on sex. | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 | 1 year 2 months 14 days |
| 20th | Changes the date on which the terms of the President and Vice President (January 20) and Senators and Representatives (January 3) end and begin. | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 | 10 months 21 days |
| 21st | Repeals the 18th Amendment and gives the States the power to prohibit or regulate the transportation or importation of alcohol for delivery or use. | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 | 9 months 15 days |
| 22nd | Limits the number of times that a person can be elected president: a person cannot be elected president more than twice, and a person who has served more than two years of a term to which someone else was elected cannot be elected more than once. | March 24, 1947 | February 27, 1951 | 3 years 11 months 6 days |
| 23rd | Grants the District of Columbia electors (the number of electors being equal to the least populous state) in the Electoral College. | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 | 9 months 12 days |
| 24th | Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of a poll tax or any other tax. | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 | 1 year 4 months 27 days |
| 25th | Addresses succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, as well as responding to Presidential disabilities. | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 | 1 year 7 months 4 days |
| 26th | Prohibits the denial of the right of US citizens, eighteen years of age or older, to vote on account of age. | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 | 3 months 8 days |
| 27th | Delays laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until after the next election of representatives. | September 25, 1789 | May 7, 1992 | 202 years 7 months 12 days |
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